Battle of Áth an Chip

Battle of Áth-an-Chip
Date1270
Locationnear Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim, Ireland
Result Ó Conchobair victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Connacht

Lordship of Ireland

Earl of Ulster
Commanders and leaders
Aedh mac Felim Ó Conchobair Robert d'Ufford, Walter de Burgh
Strength
unknown unknown
Casualties and losses
unknown unknown

The Battle of Áth-an-Chip was a battle fought in 1270 between armies of the Kingdoms of Connacht and England at county Leitrim in Ireland. The result was a decisive Irish victory.[1] The battle site was probably Drumhierney townland near Battle-bridge at Leitrim village.

Background

Fedlimid Ó Conchobair was King of Connacht in the middle of the Norman invasion of Ireland. He initially attempted to arrest the expansion of Norman settlements in Connacht he eventually capitulated to King Henry II. His son, Aedh mac Felim Ua Conchobair, did not favor the diplomatic approach. Even during his father's reign Aedh conducted raids on Norman settlements. In 1249 he ambushed Piers de Bermingham, who at the time held the wardship of the de Burgh lands. This ambush led to all out war and resulted in Fedlimid being deposed.[2] He regained his throne in 1250, but was much weaker as a result.

Battle

Aedh became king after his father's death in 1265.[2] He continued to raid settled lands in his kingdom. In 1269 Robert d'Ufford, the new justiciar in Ireland, began building a royal castle in Roscommon. D'Ufford sent his deputy across the River Shannon to join his ally, Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster. The combined forces met with Aedh to negotiate, but to no avail. The forces under de Burgh retreated and attempted to forde the Shannon at Áth-an-Chip. Aedh routed the army and destroyed the castle at Roscommon.

Aftermath

The Death of de Burgh in 1271 ended all effective resistance to Aedh's rule in Connacht. Aedh continued to raid as far east as Granard and even burnt Athlone, destroying the bridge there. The raiding came to an end with Aehd's sudden death on 3 May 1274.[2] The Kingdom of Connacht became embroiled in Civil War with thirteen kings during the period between 1274 and 1315.[2] This instability left Connacht vulnerable to Norman settlement.

Battle site

Drumhierney facing Battlebridge; probable "Ath-an-Chip" battle-site

Without certainty the battle-site was Drumhierney townland in county Leitrim. Ath-an-Chip was a ford on the River Shannon and places named "Athnakip" (Irish: Áth na gCeap and Irish: Áth Cip) identify fords constructed from "stocks or trunks of trees".[3][4] The Shannon crossing point at Carrick-on-Shannon was used during prehistoric times,[5] and the Irish Annals describe the Anglo-Normans entering Ath-Cara-Conaill ("Carrick-on-Shannon") before marching to Ath-an-Chip.[6][n 1] At Leitrim village the R284 road bridge fording the Shannon is called the "Battle-bridge" (Irish: Béal Átha an Chatha, "the ford-mouth of the battle").[8][9] Mac Namee stated "where Ath an Chip was is not certain; to the present writer the evidence would seem to point to Battle Bridge".[10][11] The townland at this bridge is Drumhierney (Irish: Droim Thiarnaigh, meaning the "ridge of the Lord or Master", "our lord's ridge", or perhaps "ridge of the domination").[n 2]

See also

References and notes

Notes

  1. ↑ Connellan states "Moy-Nisse was a district along the Shannon in the county of Leitrim, near Carrick-on-Shannon; and the events here narrated occurred about that place".[6] Moynish was the gaelic name for the present day barony of Leitrim.[7]
  2. ↑ "Tiarnaigh" means literally Rule (do, over), or dominate.[12]. See wikt:tiarnaigh and Tierney.

Primary sources

  1. ↑ Mac Annaidh, S., ed. (2001). Illustrated Dictionary of Irish History. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cosgrove, Art, ed. (2008). A new history of Ireland. (1. publ. in paperb. ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 249. ISBN 9780199539703.
  3. ↑ logainm, pp. 27909.
  4. ↑ logainm, pp. 22479.
  5. ↑ Tobin 2013, pp. 163.
  6. 1 2 Connellan 1846, pp. 87.
  7. ↑ Connellan 1846, pp. 87,n=1.
  8. ↑ logainm, pp. 110012.
  9. ↑ Duchas 1938, pp. 208.
  10. ↑ loganim, pp. 110012, Archival records.
  11. ↑ MacNamee 1954, pp. 206.
  12. ↑ loganim, pp. 29352.

Secondary sources

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